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SIRC articles provide evidence-based and actionable insights from sport researchers, athletes, coaches, sport organizations and thought leaders to advance sport in Canada.

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Beyond the Stats: Understanding Sleeper Athletes with Dr. Joe Baker

In a sports culture obsessed with early success, Canada may be missing out on some of the best athletes, sleepers, those who develop later, defying the traditional timelines of talent. Dr. Joe Baker, a leading expert on talent development and professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Toronto, says…

Children and Youth
Long-Term Development
Talent Identification
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Showing 51-60 of 199 Results
Athlete Development
Program Design and Evaluation
Sport Participation

Data-driven decision-making: Easy as 1, 2, 3
September 15, 2021
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Kyle Rich, Andrew Backer, Jeff Boggs and Ann Pegoraro
In 2017, The Economist boldly published that data, not oil, was the world’s most valuable resource (Parkins, 2017). Sport organizations produce more data than most organizations, ranging from athlete training and performance tracking to business-related information, such as memberships and...
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Athlete Development
High Performance
Leadership
Revenue Generation
Sport Participation

Strengthening Collaboration in Canadian Sport: Exploring a Nordic Strategy
April 26, 2021
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Heather Ambery and Charlotte MacNaughton, Nordic Strategy Steering Committee
Anyone who spends time in the world of sports—competing, coaching, supporting, or spectating—has heard their fair share of inspirational quotes. From “alone we go faster, together we go further” to “teamwork makes the dream work,” the strength of the team...
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Abuse-Free Sport
Athlete Development
Coaching
Leadership

Next Steps in the Safe Sport Journey: From Prevention of Harm to Optimizing Experiences
April 19, 2021
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Gretchen Kerr, University of Toronto
Highlights At its core, the Safe Sport movement is about optimizing the sport experience for all—athletes, coaches, sport administrators, officials, support staff, and others in the sport environment. Broader societal changes have influenced the Safe Sport movement:  Changing approaches to...
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Athlete Development
Children and Youth
Coaching
Talent Identification

For or Against? The Pros and Cons of Early Talent Identification in Sport
April 13, 2021
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Aaron Koenigsberg, Jesse Korf, and Lou Farah, York University
Early Talent Identification (TID) describes the process of identifying, evaluating and selecting athletes for sport programs in early adolescence (ages 10-14). This practice has created a contentious issue in sport. On one hand, early selection may eliminate late bloomers from...
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Athlete Development
Coaching
Masters Sport
Quality Sport

Giving Due Deliberation to Masters Athletes: The Time has Come
January 11, 2021
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Bradley Young, Scott Rathwell, and Bettina Callary
Paradoxically, Masters sport is equally celebrated and ignored. Masters athletes are celebrated because they are motivated, goal-oriented, and determined to thrive at ages when sport participation has traditionally waned – they defeat stereotypes and allow us to rethink possibilities. Yet...
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Athlete Development
Coaching
Mental Health
Mental Skills
Physical Health

Self-Compassion in Sport 101
January 11, 2021
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Nathan Reis, Kent Kowalski, Amber Mosewich, and Leah Ferguson
If you have been involved in the coaching or administrative side of competitive sport, chances are you have seen athletes experience emotionally difficult setbacks. These setbacks can range from devastating performance failures (e.g., “choking” during an important competition), to facing...
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Athlete Development
Capacity Building
High Performance
Para Sport
Talent Identification

Supporting Podium Dreams – Paralympian Search and RBC Training Ground
January 11, 2021
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Sydney Millar, SIRC
To support the identification and development of future Olympians and Paralympians, two Canadian programs have been developed to fuel the Canadian pipeline of future hopefuls. RBC Training Ground and the Canadian Paralympic Committee’s Paralympian Search are athlete identification programs designed...
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Athlete Development
Concussion
COVID-19
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
High Performance
Leadership
Professional Development

Looking Back – 2020 SIRC Content Highlights
December 21, 2020
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SIRC
Although 2020 was a challenging year, it was rich with learnings and silver linings for the Canadian sport and physical activity sector. Featured below are highlights of SIRC’s top content from the last 12 months. Whether you’re looking for insightful...
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Accessibility
Athlete Development
Coaching
Community Sport
Para Sport
Program Design and Evaluation

Community parasport – The experiences of female youth
December 15, 2020
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Mikaeli Cavell, Nick Wattie, and Meghann Lloyd
The upcoming Tokyo Paralympics will be an opportunity to inspire the next generation of Canadian Paralympians. However, without strong development pathways, young Canadians may not have the opportunity to pursue their dreams. An important first step along any development pathway...
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Athlete Development
Coaching
Mental Skills

“If it Ain’t Broke Don’t Fix it:” Managing Subgroups in Sport
November 24, 2020
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Curtis Smith, Student, Queen's University
This blog is the final installment in a series in collaboration with Queen’s University. As an assignment to build knowledge mobilization skills, Dr. Luc Martin, Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, tasked students in his third year team...
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